Netflix makes UK gains as Amazon’s OTT share dips

Netflix has expanded its share of the UK market in the last six months as Amazon’s recently rebranded LoveFilm service has suffered a decline, according to new research by Decipher Media.

The digital consultancy’s Mediabug report claims that in the past six months Netflix has grown its membership among UK web users from 10% to 14%. In the same time period, Amazon Prime Instant Video’s share has dipped from 8% to 6%.

“After a year of high quality original content, and announcements of more to come in 2014, Netflix has also grown its paid base. In the last six months, those only on a free trial has reduced from 39% to 25% of their base,” said Decipher Media.

The twice-yearly report also said that Sky On Demand has the largest usage share of all TV VoD services in the UK at 24%. This is followed by the BBC’s iPlayer which has a 16% share across its different platforms.

In terms of OTT device, Decipher estimates that 2% of the UK’s online population now owns a Now TV box, while Google’s recently launched Chromecast streaming stick has notched up predicted sales of “more than 100,000.”
The research also claims that tablets have now overtaken smartphones in terms of the number of consumers who use them to watch video regularly.

“Tablet ownership has been growing steadily for a number of years,” said the report. “Smartphones, in the meantime, have flatlined and there is no indication that tablets are slowing down, having also passed the 50% mark in general ownership.”